Making Electricity

Harris Dam and hydro station, Indian Pond, ca. 1955

The development of electric production was gradual. Numerous small companies – formed by factory owners, towns, and a variety of entrepreneurs – operated generating stations that served limited areas to power small lighting systems, street railroads, or nearby shops and factories. Some powered only one mill or one building.

Companies such as Agamenticus Light and Power Co., Waterville and Fairfield Railway and Light Co., and Kennebec Light and Heat served individual communities; some towns had more than one electric company.

Water Power

Completed in 1955, Harris Station on the upper Kennebec River in Somerset County was the largest hydroelectric dam in Maine at the time. Its initial capacity of 75,000 kilowatts was later upgraded to 88,000.